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2018 Convention legislation: Division I

Proposed legislation is aimed at improving student-athlete experience

January 12, 2018 11:00amMichelle Brutlag Hosick

At the 2018 NCAA Convention, Division I members will review a variety of proposals aimed at improving the college sports experience for student-athletes.

Both the Division I Council members and representatives from the schools in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences will vote on proposals dealing with issues such as competition schedules and medical expenses. The structure of both voting bodies includes athletics administrators, college athletes and faculty members who will cast votes on each proposal.

The Council members will vote on an earlier start date for the basketball season. The proposal, recommended by the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committees, would move the first contest date to the Tuesday before the second Friday in November, three days earlier than the current start.

Days after the Council votes on the start-of-season proposal, the five conferences with the autonomy to make rule changes in specific areas will vote on a companion proposal that would require three days off from athletics activities during a school’s winter break for students who compete in basketball. Representatives from each member school in those conferences, plus three student-athletes from each conference, will vote on the mandatory three-day break for basketball players.

They also will vote on a change to Division I’s medical expenses legislation. That proposal would require a school to provide medical care to student-athletes for injuries incurred because they are involved in college sports. That care also must extend at least two years after the student leaves the school.

If adopted, that proposal would be mandatory for the 65 schools in the five autonomy conferences. The rest of Division I would have the option to adopt the rule on a schoolwide or conferencewide basis.

Division I Issues Forum spotlights transfers, other hot topics

The 2018 NCAA Convention will provide Division I members with the opportunity to discuss important issues that will shape the division moving forward, including transfers and recruiting legislation. These and other relevant topics are on the Division I Issues Forum agenda.

Also at the forum, scheduled for Thursday, the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will update members on its work and on issues most relevant to student-athletes.

Governance bodies to meet

In addition to the Council, the Division I Board of Directors and Division I Presidential Forum will both meet at the Convention. The Presidential Forum will finalize its work on the “Charting the Course” initiative, which includes presidential principles to guide potential legislation and policies related to the well-being of student-athletes before, during and after their time in college.

The board will consider providing additional flexibility in the legislative cycle as it relates to transfers and recommendations from the Commission on College Basketball. Under current guidelines, legislation must be introduced by Sept. 1, and voting occurs in January and April. The board will look at allowing a more flexible schedule in these specific cases.

Division I Convention Legislation

Proposal

Source

What would change?

2017-72 — Preseason practice start for women’s basketball

Division I Council

Would allow women’s basketball practice to start two days earlier.

2017-73 — Start date for men’s and women’s basketball games

Division I Council

Would create an earlier, midweek start date for the basketball season.

2017-86 — Start of preseason practice and games for women’s soccer

Division I Council

Would set Aug. 1 as the first date of practice and Aug. 15 as the first day for games in women’s soccer.

Current rules were based on the date of the championship.

2017-116 — Preseason practice rules in football

Division I Council

Would change what is allowed during preseason practice and change limits on student-athlete participation before the start of games.

Would start preseason practice 29 days before a team’s first game instead of a date that allows for 40 practice units before a game.

2017-95 — Defining relationships for benefit purposes

Atlantic Coast Conference

Would define the term “significant other” and replace “spouse” with “significant other.”

Would amend proposal 2017-106 to allow, once every four years, teams participating in a regular-season tournament during the holiday period, to forgo the three required days off during the holiday period.